Kieran Tierney revealed that Martin O’Neill’s message at half-time helped turn the game against Motherwell as the Hoops went from a level score at the break to a 3–1 win at Celtic Park.
The afternoon did not begin smoothly for Celtic. Motherwell took the lead midway through the first half when Elijah Just punished a loose moment in midfield. Celtic had struggled to move the ball quickly before that point and the visitors looked comfortable defending their shape.
Yang Hyun-jun’s equaliser just before the break changed the mood inside the stadium. The winger reacted fastest to a loose ball in the box and slid the finish inside the far post. The goal gave Celtic a foothold in the match before the players headed down the tunnel.
What followed after the break looked like a different team. Celtic pressed higher up the pitch and forced Motherwell into mistakes when trying to play out from the back. Tomáš Cvancara eventually converted a penalty to put the Hoops ahead before Yang struck again late on to seal the result.
Tierney said: (Daily Record), “It was a big win. I think at this stage of the season, every win is going to be big and the next game is going to be the biggest.
“Martin was talking about the spirit of the team behind such a high pressure. If you look back over the course of the season, the amount of last minute winners we’ve scored and points won late in the games, it shows the mentality of the squad.
“Of course you would not want to be doing that every week but today, I think the second half especially played really well, showed what we can play like.”
The second half reflected the message Kieran Tierney described. Celtic played quicker through midfield and the front players began pressing Motherwell’s defenders far earlier in the build-up.
That pressure led to the penalty which changed the direction of the game. Daizen Maeda chased a loose ball inside the box and forced the mistake that resulted in the spot kick. Cvancara stepped forward and converted with confidence.
From that point Celtic controlled the match. Yang’s second goal arrived when he broke in behind the defence and fired high into the net to settle the game.
Against Motherwell they showed the same response again. The team recovered from going behind, increased the tempo after half-time, and found the goals needed to keep the title race alive.
